Maintaining Level 10 Motivation

Last week I wrote about the passing of Alice Sommer, the oldest living survivor of the Holocaust. I was deeply moved by her use of music as motivation to maintain a positive attitude in the face of such horrific conditions. The post set my focus for the week, as I found myself looking at individuals and organizations I admire and asking myself, "What keeps them motivated?"

My biggest "aha" of the week came Friday and Saturday. I was privileged to be the closing speaker for the Independent Pharmacy business growth conference produced by Pharmacy Development Services. PDS is a member-based organization with one driving purpose that is spelled out on it's home page: We invite you to join the community of pharmacy owners who have decided that good enough will no longer suffice. PDS offers an amazing array of training programs and coaching on every facet of owning and running a pharmacy.

As I participated in the event I came to realize why PDS has grown so much in the past 10 years. They really know how to provide the right environment at their conference to motivate pharmacy owners to take the next step and make the worthy investment of membership in PDS. Some things I saw included:

• Helping the attendees stay laser focused on the purpose of the conference. Each participant is given a guidebook called an "opportunity funnel" they are to use to capture their new ideas and begin planning how to implement them even BEFORE they leave the event.
• A belief in developing the total person. Sessions included topics like finance, leadership, best practices, technology, and even personal well being. While each speaker related information specific to the pharmacy industry, I found myself taking copious notes during the sessions, and I don't even own a pharmacy!
• Letting the people talk. From time to time at the conference, current PDS members were asked to share the benefits they had experienced. Each person (or couple) shared heartwarming stories and concrete examples that were "spot on" for the audience. I connected with their stories so much, in fact, I started thinking that maybe I needed to join PDS. During breaks and meals participants were also encouraged to network and share ideas with each other. And as I often say, it's where the best ideas originate at such an event.

Dan Benamoz, Founder of PDS

By now you may be saying, "But wait, Jones, I thought this post was about maintaining your motivation." It is. I just needed to introduce you to the OUTCOME of someone having Level 10 motivation. You see, until 1998, PDS did not exist. Pharmacy Development Services was the vision of Dan Benamoz, an independent pharmacy owner who longed to improve his business. Not finding exactly what he needed, he created what is now PDS, which seeks to equip its members to lead, innovate, and connect to reap the rewards of pharmacy ownership.

One of Dan's favorite phrases at the conference was "Let's give a level 10 welcome to..." Getting to know Dan and his accomplishments I asked myself what kept him so motivated. Being around him at the conference gave me some initial ideas. Dan's level 10 motivation comes from:

• Clarity of purpose. Dan simply wants pharmacy owners to experience greater success, and he works to make sure every service provided by PDS delivers on that purpose.
• Surrounding yourself with quality people. Dan realized early on that running a successful business, pharmacy or otherwise, requires having people who can make quality things happen. He has an incredible team.
• Keeping your priorities in order. I've been around people like Dan for years, and one of my disappointments has been that they have neglected their family or their personal well being to accomplish their goals. Not so with Dan. He beams when talking about his family, and one of my personal highlights of the event came when Dan invited his 13 year old daughter onto the stage to talk about a school research project. The focus of the research was PDS, or as she beautifully referred to it, "our business." The rest of his family share similar sentiments.

Pharmacy Development Services is clearly the outcome of one person's constant level 10 motivation. What could you begin creating this week if you had the same level of motivation toward your work and life?